What is "tomentose"

Tomentose \To"men*tose`\, a. [L. tomentum a stuffing of wool, hair, or feathers: cf. F. tomenteux.] (Bot. & Zo["o]l.) Covered with matted woolly hairs; as, a tomentose leaf; a tomentose leaf; a tomentose membrane.

a. (context biology entomology English) In entomology and plant morphology, a taxonomic component which is covered in hairs. There will be dense matted hairs on leaf, stem or seed.

1. adj. covered with densely matted filaments

2. densely covered with short matted woolly hairs; "a tomentose leaf" [syn: tomentous]

Tomentose hairs are hairs that are flattened and matted. The Latin word meaning 'cushion stuffing,' tomentum, is used to describe a woolly coating formed by the tomentose hairs. The word is often applied to plant hairs, but is used to describe hairs on animals (particularly insects) as well. For example, the hairs covering portions of a bee may be referred to as tomentose.

Often the hairs are silver or gray-colored. Where the tomentum is minute or only slight, the coating is described as 'tomentulose'.

Plant species that have this type of structure and visual quality can have botanical names containing the Latin root 'tomentosus'.

• Achillea tomentosa
• Aristolochia tomentosa
• Opuntia tomentosa
• Paulownia tomentosa
• Rhodomyrtus tomentosa
• Uncaria tomentosa